Don't Let Me Fall
by KittenHeels220
Summary: Eli has been bullying Clare forever. Now they are forced to be English partners and start developing a friendship for one another which only escalates when Eli helps Clare out of a sticky situation. I promise its good. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Eclare fic and some of it is kind of a compilation of a few other stories I've read here. This is just my version. The title was taken from a Lenka song, which I don't own; nor do I own Degrassi or any of the characters represented here. Basically, Eli has been bullying Clare for a long time so I guess they have a bit of a love/hate relationship. So far I have 10 chapters written but I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with it beyond that point. So please, if you have any suggestions leave a review and I will possibly include them in some of the later chapters that I haven't written yet. Please read this. I promise its good and for the most part grammatically correct.**

They had been at war for as long as she could remember. He'd hidden her homework, tripped her in the hallway and put dead bugs on her lunch when she wasn't looking. He teased her in every way that a boy can tease a girl, and as they grew older, it only got worse. Now in high school at Degrassi, Eli had pulled out her chair from under her in the café, gotten her detention three times and pulled down her pants during gym class. He was ruthless and relentless about it.

Clare smiled as she headed to her locker before first period. They only had a couple classes together this year, so Eli had been pretty low-key. Afterall, he was always hanging out with his dumb boyfriends who only encouraged him. She did her best to avoid the whole party- Dave, KC, Adam and Drew.

"What's up, bff?" Alli said, fast approaching, Jenna shortly behind.

"Hey guys, ready for another wonderful day at your friendly, neighborhood Degrassi?"

"Ok, you're even too perky for me this morning. Is something going on?" Alli questioned.

"You do seem kind of chipper," Jenna added.

"Nothing really. The school play is about to start and I'm on props again. Plus I'm going to try and do newspaper this year. And most importantly, I hardly have any classes with Eli Goldsworthy. Life couldn't be better," Clare rationalized.

"Did I hear my name?" Eli rounded the corner and stared at Clare, clearly annoyed. "Jease Edwards, you can't go two seconds without mentioning me? Stalk much?" He continued to walk by as Clare rolled her eyes and Dave chuckled.

"Haven't you met your terrorize Clare quota for the morning?" Adam asked.

"Hey, she always antagonizes me first. I'm just defensive."

"Whatever you do, you always seem to get her good," said Dave. "But come here. I've got a plan for this afternoon."

They all headed to the corner where Dave had beckoned them and pulled out a bucket. Inside were water balloons.

"What's that?" Drew and KC appeared.

"I figured we could go up to the roof and drop them on some niners later," Dave explained.

"That's awesome!" Adam said, picking one up. He then jokingly tossed it at Eli, who quickly grabbed it, just gracefully enough to keep it from bursting.

"Whoa, careful dude."

"Of course we wouldn't want to mess up your guyliner," Drew jested.

"Hey!" Eli said and deliberately chucked it at him just as Clare approached. The water splattered all over her, including her books. Everyone froze in shock as they stared at her dripping curls. Alli and Jenna looked on in horror since they had just narrowly escaped her ill-fate.

But Eli only smiled and then began to laugh. "Whoops! But I do have to thank you Clare, for wearing that lovely white shirt today."

Her head slowly looked down to see that her dark purple bra was standing out strikingly through her white blouse, revealing everything as the rest of the guys turned to stare at her chest. Her hands forcefully turned to fists while her face flushed red with rage. Fortunately Alli was there to jump in front and put her books in front of Clare, blocking the view before she could throw down.

"Come on, I've got my after school clothes in my locker," she said, leading her away, the sound of hysterical laughter fading behind them.

"I can't believe him!"

"Clare, I'm sure it was just an accident," Jenna attempted to comfort.

"An accident? He was happy about it!"

"Of course they were happy about it. I'm sure none of them have seen a rack that big and up close outside of a butcher shop," Jenna jested in an attempt to lighten the mood. Clare was not amused.

They reached Alli's locker. "Alright enough. Here are my clothes that I wear when my parents pick me up from school so they don't know I dress like this while I'm here. They should be conservative enough for your liking and your shirt can dry in your locker throughout the day."

"Alli you're a life-saver," Clare said taking the clothes. "It just makes me sick that he even saw me- that they all saw me like that. Between that and Eli pantsing me he's practically seen me completely naked!"

"Well, they've all practically seen me naked then because I've worn a bikini in public," Jenna rationalized.

"Jenna's right, Clare. It's really not that big a deal."

Then they heard a wolf whistle, "Lookin' good Clare," Owen said as he passed by.

Clare grabbed Alli's clothes, ready to storm off to the girl's room. "I'll never hear the end of this."

A few moments later she arrived to her English class, apologizing to Ms. Dawes for being late because of a "wardrobe malfunction", and was even more unsettled to see that the only vacant seat was directly behind her arch nemesis.

"Clare, you didn't have to change just to impress me," he smirked at her. She rolled her eyes and slammed her books loudly on her desk.

"Alright, Clare, as I was saying, you will have a writing partner this year. I understand that not all of you aspire to be authors or story tellers, but for those of you who do, you will be workshopping in groups just like these."

Clare began to get out her notebook and was finally ready with her pencil in hand, just in time to hear, "Clare Edwards and Eli Goldsworthy." She froze.

"What?!"

Ms. Dawes looked up. "You will be working with Mr. Goldsworthy, Clare. Now the topic will be- the worst event to happen in your lives. This class is going to be about emotional writing and in order to do that you must first open yourselves up to the reader."

She spent the rest of the period trying to think of ways to get out of working with him when Eli finally turned around and said, "Don't worry. I'll handle it." She nodded and then the bell rang.

"Ms. Dawes," Eli approached her as Clare stayed behind to eavesdrop while she collected her books. "Ms. Dawes, I really don't feel comfortable working with Clare."

"That's nonsense, Eli. The two of you seem like you'll feed off of each other wonderfully."

"Well, the issue is, we can't stand each other."

"Looks like you'll just have to learn to tolerate one other."

"But he's a malicious jerk whose sole purpose in life is to torment me," Clare interrupted.

"And she's a neurotic nuisance who exits just to annoy me," Eli added.

"Well, you clearly agree on the fact that you don't want to work together. Let's build on that," Ms. Dawes concluded before finally dismissing them both.

"This is just great," Eli said sarcastically.

"I thought you said you'd handle it," Clare rounded on him.

"If you hadn't butted in, maybe I could have convinced her. That is so like you, Edwards. You always have to have the last word. You can't give anyone else a shot."

"I could have given you ten shots right in the head. But I guess I'm not the only one completely immune to your obnoxious charm. Ms. Dawes can see right through it, too. She obviously just wants me to fix your essays for you."

Eli was aghast. "Wow, what's it like being up there on that high horse of yours all the damn time?"

"You are ridiculous!" she screamed and stormed away.

"I'll see you Saturday," he called after her.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I only wanted to post one chapter per week, but I was too excited to see what you guys thought of the next part. Thanks for the reviews and please continue to do so.**

Chapter 2

She spent the week working on her essay, truly pouring her soul into it. It felt awkward being willing to share that part of herself with anyone, especially Eli. But she knew that it was time to open up herself to her writing if she was ever going to make a career out of it.

When Saturday finally rolled around, she thought it was as ready as it ever would be. Still, Eli never told her what time he would be over, so she was in her uber-casual t-shirt and shorts when there was a knock at the door.

"Well don't get all gussied up for me, Edwards," he said, nodding to her wardrobe.

"Why are you such a misogynistic chauvinist?"

"I don't hate women. I love them. Just not ball-busting prudes."

"You don't know anything about me!" she snapped.

"Which is even _more_ than you know about me!" he countered. In the five seconds that he had been standing in her doorway, they were hot and ready to tear at each other's throats. Then a loud beep interrupted their confrontation. Eli sniffed in the air. "You made popcorn?"

"I didn't know what time you'd be here, so I thought I'd just have it ready," Clare said, heading to the microwave.

"Well I can see you clearly have an excellent perception of the teenage male appetite."

"That you're all bottomless pits who are constantly dying of starvation?"

"Exactly. Now what have you got to drink?" he responded, heading to the kitchen.

"Please, come in," she said sarcastically, slamming the door behind her.

"Got any beer?" he asked, approaching the refrigerator. Clare walked over to the fridge and grabbed him a coke while she rolled her eyes. He shrugged. "I guess it'll have to do."

"Well I highly doubt that my extremely moral and Christian mother would have anything other than red wine, let alone allow me and an underage boy drink it when she's not home," Clare stated.

"You're mom isn't home?"

"Nope. She hasn't been around as much since she and my dad got divorced. Something about feeling liberated or whatever."

Eli somehow managed to shrug with his eyebrows, which was something only he seemed to be capable of. "That sucks."

"At least she remembers that I exist some of the time. That's more than I can say for my dad," she added while grabbing the popcorn bowl from a cabinet. "Can we just get to our essays already? I'd kind of like to get this over with."

"I think that's the first time we've ever been able to agree on something," he said as he unzipped his backpack. He sat down at the table and grabbed Clare's essay, sliding his own to her. He chewed on a handful of popcorn and began to read.

Clare followed suit.

_At fifteen I was fortunate enough to meet the love of my life. She was beautiful and perfect in every way. After a few short months of being the happiest I have ever been, she was taken from me. The worst experience I've ever had was when my girlfriend died; and I'm the one who killed her._

Clare made a frown as she continued to read. Eli was surprisingly nervous as to what her reaction would be and began to focus on her facial expressions. His story went on about the wonderful times they had shared together and how he blamed himself for her death. It was brutally honest and real and she could tell that for a long time, he truly hated himself.

"Well?" he said when she looked up.

She stared at him for a moment, not exactly sure what to say before finally settling on, "there were a few grammatical errors and you could really work on your transitions a bit and-" she stopped. He continued to stare at her with his eyebrows raised. She sighed. "I'm sorry."

He wasn't sure what she meant- if it was for her lack of sensitivity or if she was sorry about him losing Julia- but he nodded.

"I didn't know you had girlfriend last summer. Is that why you started wearing black all the time and driving the hearse?"

"Morty's not just a hearse. He's an escape."

Clare half-smiled. "I know what it's like to need something like that." They sat in silence for a moment before she continued. "What did you think of mine?"

"Oh right." Eli hadn't realized that he didn't even begin to read her essay.

_Some might say that you aren't capable of falling in love at fourteen and most would say that it's the best experience of your life if you do. What those people don't realize is that it can also be the worst. I fell for Liam immediately and we were inseparable. I never thought myself able to feel so strongly about anyone. When he told me he didn't love me anymore, I became so lost. There was no reason for it. He didn't move away. He didn't cheat or fall in love with someone else. He just didn't want me. I was completely unlovable. Most girls would cower in this situation and become puddles of despair. I chose to take the opportunity to find myself and learn to love me more than anybody._

Clare's story continued on to tell the tale of her self-discovery and how she became empowered by getting dumped. It was her worst experience but it allowed her to be the best version of herself.

"Wow, I guess I really didn't know as much about you as I thought," he admitted.

"Thanks." She sat curled up across from him in her chair, clearly feeling vulnerable. "So any criticisms?"

"Actually, no. I was really hoping to be able to tear it apart, believe me; but I think it's a perfect representation of you. It's great, Clare."

She sighed. "No it's not."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Ok, you have no idea how difficult it was for me to compliment you just now. So if you're just fishing-" he began to argue.

"No!" she said, though not defensively this time. "I just mean, I wish I could write about my parents. That's really the worst thing to happen to me, but I can't find the strength to open up about it."

"Oh."

"First my sister left us, then my dad. Now my mom starts dating again and she's never home. I don't even know any of the guys she's going out with. Liam was just the _first_ person to leave me, but he definitely wasn't the worst."

Eli listened and was surprised that he didn't feel awkward. He really just wanted to help her. And Clare certainly shocked herself at finally being able to open up about everything, especially with Eli. "Clare, they didn't leave you. They just moved on."

"Same difference," she said. She got up and moved over to the couch, curling back up into a ball in the corner. He waited a second and thought about leaving, but decided to join her instead. When he sat down on the other side of the couch, Clare asked, "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

He didn't just feel sorry for her having to be alone. He was actually curious about her now and kind of interested to see what she would pick out. "Sure," although he was still a little hesitant.

"I'll order a pizza. My mom left me some money for tonight." She grabbed her phone and they eventually settled on _Garden State_.

"That's one of my favorite movies," he replied.

"Mine too," she smiled.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you smile before."

"I don't think you've ever let me before," and her smile grew wider.

A while later, the movie ended and the screen faded out. They had managed to survive the afternoon together without killing one another. In fact, they ended up hanging out. Eli got up to grab his bag and jacket.

"So, I'm supposed to hang out with Adam and some of the guys. We got the UFC match on pay per view."

Clare smiled again, "Sounds like a riveting evening of masculinity."

He laughed. "Yeah. Listen, um… truce?"

She knew exactly what he meant. "Sure… for now." They both smiled before he walked out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, this is where the plot thickens. It's the part that I was referring to in the summary and I'm pretty sure you guys are going to like it. **

Chapter 3

Monday morning neither of them knew how to act. They somehow felt more connected now, but they weren't about to call themselves friends. So they just settled for ignoring one another as much as possible. When Clare walked into English and headed for her seat behind Eli, he noticed right away and sat up a little straighter.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Monosyllabic banter seemed to be enough to satisfy both of their needs for communication for the rest of the day.

"Ok class. I need you to turn in your assignments," Ms. Dawes announced. Clare grabbed her paper and attempted to get up when she felt a hand on her desk.

"I'll get it," Eli said, holding his own.

"Thanks," she responded and sat back down. She spent the rest of the period staring at the back of his head, his loose dark curls and the folded back collar on his shirt. Meanwhile, he was sure he could sense her eyes on him from affront. He then began to wonder what facial expressions she was making or what was going through her head. For a few brief moments, they both seemed to be content in their thoughts.

"So how was it?" Adam whispered.

"What?"

"Your day of doom and gloom at Casa de Edwards?" he hissed.

Eli was silent at first but he knew Clare could hear everything. "Um, it was alright?"

"You mean the two of you actually didn't kill each other? I bet she flipped after you left that stink bomb."

Clare sat up straight. He could feel the movement behind him as he sank lower in his own chair. After the bell rang, she grabbed her books and darted straight for the door and he didn't do anything to stop her. There wasn't much point. She wouldn't forgive him, not that he really cared. At least, he shouldn't care. But maybe he did a little.

"Whoa! Simmer down, sister," Jenna said when Clare nearly slammed right into her.

"Sorry. I just can't believe him!"

Jenna and Alli stared at each other and then spoke in unison, "Eli."

"He was going to set off a stink bomb in my house," she explained.

"What?" Jenna's jaw dropped.

"On Saturday?" Alli asked.

"Yes! Adam just asked him how it went and if I freaked out."

"Wait, so he didn't set it off?" Jenna asked.

"No. I had no idea."

"Well, why didn't he do it? Did something happen between you two?" Alli looked at her skeptically.

"Of course not! Like what?"

"Well, there has to be a reason he changed his mind."

"I don't know and I don't care," she declared.

"Ok ok. Time to calm down, because we've got great news!" Alli seemed a little too excited. She paused for dramatic effect and said, "Drew Torres is having a party this Saturday night!"

"Awesome!" Jenna squealed.

"Oh great. Drew Torres is Adam Torres' brother, which means that Eli will be there," Clare rationalized.

"That's wonderful, Debbie Downer. Now buck up and avoid him, because you are coming with us and we are going to have a fabulous time!"

Clare was able to successfully avoid speaking to Eli for the rest of the week, and aside from asking what grade she got on her paper, he didn't bother to address her either. They both got A's, although, Clare still felt she didn't deserve it. Like she told Eli, there were still things she couldn't bring herself to put into writing. Momentarily, she felt the need to express this to him, but she chalked that up to temporary insanity and went back to ignoring him as much as possible.

Saturday rolled around and she found herself sitting on her bed while Alli picked through her closet. After about fifteen minutes of staring at her wardrobe, she finally grabbed her reserves out of her own bag.

"This will have to do," she said holding up a blue and white polka dotted dress with a high-waist. "But you're letting me accessorize."

Clare put on the dress, which had become shorter than she remembered, but was still conservative enough for her to be slightly comfortable, and then put on the belt, boots and jewelry that Alli provided.

"Perfect! You look hot, but not hotter than me."

Clare smiled. "You know, I do look kind of hot."

"Alright, we've got to hurry if we're going to meet Jenna there. Let's go."

When they arrived, Clare could only describe the party one way- loud. There were red cups everywhere, girls in skanky outfits, girls in bikinis even though she was pretty sure there wasn't a pool, and lots of guys with baggy pants.

"I'm going to go find Drew," Alli ran off into the next smoky room before Clare had the chance to argue. She let out a loud sigh knowing she would be on her own for the rest of the night. Even if she managed to find Jenna, she, too, would probably be curled up around some guy.

"Well," Clare thought to herself, "if I'm here, I may as well try to have a good time." Then she headed off to find the keg. There was a line in the kitchen which clearly went to the beer. Ten minutes waiting led to her sipping from her own red cup in a nearby corner.

"Clare Edwards drinking a beer at a party? What would your minister say?" There he was across the room, drinking from his own plastic cup.

"I have a pastor, not a minister. And Jesus drank wine which actually has a higher alcohol percentage than beer."

"Unbelievable. You're drinking underage at a party and you still find a way to be a conceited know-it-all."

"Why are you even talking to me?" Clare asked rather rudely.

Eli wasn't about to put up with that. "Sorry for trying to make conversation. To hell with this," and he walked away.

"Great," Clare thought. She managed to scare away the one other person at this party that might be willing to talk to her; not that she really wanted to talk to Eli. She buried her sorrows in her cup and asked for a refill before heading outside and finding a vacant bench in the backyard.

It was kind of cold but she hadn't bothered to bring a jacket. So she just sat curled up against the armrest and sipped on her beer while staring up at the stars and pretending that the little alcohol she'd consumed hadn't gotten to her yet. That's when she spotted her ex.

"Clare?"

"Dallas?" she responded. He sauntered over, spilling out the contents of his drink, and slopped down on the bench next to her. He tossed his arm around the back of the bench and cupped his hand around her shoulder. "What are you doing here, baby?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize this was in your domain."

"Nah, I'm glad you're here," he slurred. "I've been wanting to tell you how much I miss you."

"You're drunk Dallas. You probably miss your dog right now, too."

He laughed and scooted closer. "That's what I mean. You're so sarcastic. You got a great sense of humor," and he began to sniff her hair.

Clare wasn't really bothered at first, since they had dated briefly before. Dallas, however, was dangerously close to crossing the line. "Dallas, I'm not your girlfriend anymore."

"Come on, baby. For old time's sake," and he began to kiss at her neck.

"Mike, stop," she said and pushed him away.

"I'm sorry, Clare, but you smell so good."

"Well you reek," she said, holding her hand to her nose to cover the smell of beer and cigarettes.

He chuckled once more and began to run his fingers through her hair. Then he tried to kiss her cheek and neck again. "We were so good together."

She pushed at him again, "No, we weren't and we barely even dated. So you need to stop."

He grabbed her face and tried to kiss her full on the lips this time while he ran his hand up her leg towards her thigh. Clare wasn't exactly sure what was happening and started to enter panic mode. About to scream, she tried to push him back again but she had to face it; he was stronger than her. Feeling trapped, she was finally able to force him off and then slap him across the face, hard. He seemed to sober a little and was possibly even a bit shocked at his own actions.

"Clare! I'm so sorry. I…" he trailed off and realized that she was trying to get up and leave, so he forced her down to get her to listen.

"Dallas, stop it!" That's when the blow struck. A fist came crashing down, colliding with Mike Dallas's face. He was plastered square in the nose. Clare looked up to see Eli, red in the face and fuming. Unsure of what to do next, she fled.

Across the backyard and through the house, she fled. Out the front door and into the street, she marched, ignoring everyone and everything. The cacophony of loud music and drunken laughter seemed like a hazy background as she disregarded her surroundings and stopped at the end of the street. She was lost with nowhere to go. That's when she felt the soft tug on her arm.

"Come on," he said, but Clare just stared at him with an empty expression. "Clare, come on. I'm taking you home."

She stood rooted not moving an inch.

"Damnit, Clare!"

She still didn't know what to do.

"Clare, remember what you said about everyone leaving you? Well, I'm not going to leave you, not right now."

That was when she broke. The flood of past events of everything from the evening became evident as it dripped down her face. She nodded slightly and climbed into the hearse.

**Author's Note: I just wanted to clarify the reason I chose Dallas for this part. Originally, I thought of Fitz or Owen, but after the drunk scene in the props room while Clare was flipping out about Asher, I thought that they could actually be a couple. I know that this chapter was a little cliche, but I tried to make it as realistic as possible and I will continue to do so for the next couple chapters. Let me know if you feel differently in the R/R.**

**Author's Rant: I'm really upset about he way the break-up went down during last week's episode for Eclare. I respect the break-up, I'm just disappointed that they tried to pin everything on Clare and make it seem like she was being the bad guy. Eli messed up and he used her as an excuse which I don't respect. That being said, I will forever ship Eclare and I know and believe they will find their way back to one another.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello all. Here is the next chapter of Dont Let Me Fall. It's kind of filler, but not exactly because it deals with the aftermath of the party. It's a bit shorter but there's some good conversation in it where Clare and Eli are evolving in their relationship. Hope you guys like. And thanks for all the comments so far. Remember, I'm open to suggestion for later chapters!**

Chapter 4

Eli wasn't really sure what to do. He headed straight for her house, but she was silent and shaking in the passenger seat the whole time. He was pretty sure she was in shock.

"Are you ok?"

She turned to look at him but still didn't speak. He had put his jacket around her and turned on the heat, but she still seemed to be shivering. When they reached her house, all the lights were out and no one appeared to be home, so Eli took the liberty of walking her inside. When he asked for her keys, she handed him her purse and he went through it to unlock the door.

He figured the best place for her was in bed so he led her upstairs. Eli really had no clue which room was hers so he just started peeking in doors and settled on the one with the light pink walls and smaller bed. Clare followed him in but instead of continuing to stare at him blankly, her expression turned to curiosity. Now she was watching him, wondering what he was doing.

"Are you hungry? Do you need some water?" he asked. There was glass on her nightstand, so he took the initiative and headed to the bathroom, filling it from the faucet.

"Why are you here?" she finally managed to ask after a few sips of water.

"Do you want me to go?" She slowly shook her head back and forth.

"Where's your mom?"

"She's visiting my grandma this weekend." Her voice was squeaky, like she had a cold.

He walked towards her and put his hands on either side of her face, peering into her eyes. "Clare, look at me. Are you okay?" he said in a serious tone.

Her eyes began to fill again, spilling the hot, salty liquid over her cheeks.

"I feel so stupid and weak. I let him belittle me and make me feel so helpless."

Eli let out a long soft sigh. He was relieved that she was finally giving him straight answers, but at the same time, he knew her feelings were about to come pouring out, too. He wasn't sure if he could take it. She was just too pitiful, which he wasn't used to. She was normally a feisty firecracker, quick to retort his every last barb. It was almost like Dallas had extinguished her fire.

"What he did was wrong."

Clare shook her head. "You don't get it. It's not just that I was wronged or taken advantage of. He made me feel like I had no control over anything! My parents raised me to be a self-confident and independent female and in a split second that was taken away from me and I was just a scared little girl. And now here I am crying my eyes out like a child to you of all people. I'm supposed to be strong enough to handle things."

"Clare, you're probably one of the strongest people I know. Why do you think everyone's always teasing you and trying to bring you down? Because you're so brave, it makes you untouchable." As he said the words, he knew they were truer than ever. "And you were right. I don't exactly know what you're going through. I mean, I know what situations like these are supposed to be like: just awful. But I don't really know what's going through your head."

"Right now I just want to sleep and forget about it."

Eli went to get up and go, "Of course. I'll let you get to sleep."

"Well don't leave me!" she started.

"You want me to stay here?"

"Just for a little while. I don't want to be alone, even if it is you."

He knew she didn't mean it jokingly but he let out a small laugh anyway. Then he slipped off his shoes and sat down on the bed next to her. "Sure, but you should really try to sleep. You look like shit."

"Gee, thanks," but she fell back next to him.

A few moments of silence prompted a question to ease the tension. "So you really dated Mike Dallas?"

For the first time of the evening, Clare actually gave a small laugh. "Don't judge."

"Oh I'm judging. I'm judging hard," Eli responded and Clare continued to giggle a little more.

"That's not fair. It was right after Liam broke up with me and I was really vulnerable. We only went out a couple of times and he was completely a rebound," she defended.

"Oh and I'm sure it had nothing to do with him being a super dreamy hockey player," Eli's voice went up an octave and he batted his eyelashes to emphasize the end of the sentence.

"Shut-up," she laughed, hitting him in the side.

"Oh now there's the Clare Edwards we all know and love. So violent."

"Just showing the side of my personality that can only be brought out by the charms of my unrelenting English partner."

They continued their witty banter for some time until finally drifting off to sleep.

The next morning they awoke with their arms interlocked almost as if they had fallen asleep holding hands. Clare slowly sat up and reached for her forehead. She knew without looking in a mirror that her eyes swollen, red, and puffy and she had a splitting headache from crying so much the night before. Her stomach dropped as the events of the previous night unfolded in her memory. Dallas, his hands on her; El, his hands on her, but in a different way.

"Hey," he said as he slowly began to stretch. "Did I sleep here all night?" She nodded in response. "How are you feeling?"

"Probably like I look- like shit," she said.

"Yeah, you do look pretty crappy," he mused. Once again she hit him in the side.

He laughed, "Ouch! I'm just kidding. But your breath does reek, though."

"Look who's talking!" she argued. He shrugged and then looked at the clock.

"Holy crap! Its noon! Bullfrog and Cece are probably wondering where I am."

"Who?"

"My parents. I should probably go home and check in."

"Oh right, right," Clare said, though she was slightly disappointed.

"And I'm sure I need a shower because I know you do." She shook her head in annoyance. "When is your mom supposed to be back?"

"Tonight, tomorrow, next month. Who knows," she stated resentfully.

"I can probably make it back here in a couple of hours if you want to hang out for a bit, he suggested.

"Really? That would be cool. You know, if you want," she tried to say nonchalantly.

"Cool."

"So you aren't going to be in trouble with your parents for being out all night?"

"With Bullfrog and Cece?" Eli laughed. "Nah, they're cool."

"Must be nice." They headed downstairs and Clare waved him goodbye.

"See you in a bit," he said and headed out towards the hearse.

**Thanks for reading. Let me know how you liked it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I'm pretty happy with this chapter, so I really hope you guys like it. I also wanted to say how much I appreciate all the wonderful comments from everyone. I have an English degree but the only job I could get after graduating was as a bank teller. So this story is one of my outlets since my job isn't exactly creatively stimulating. I hope everyone enjoys it and please R/R! Thanks!**

Later that afternoon, Eli was knocking on the door only to be answered by a newly groomed Clare.

"Hey," She said, widening the door for him.

He entered the foyer and said, "Hi."

"'Sup," a tall guy in a plaid shirt had appeared from behind her, holding a wrench.

Eli raised his eyebrows and straightened up, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I guess I should have texted to say that I was on my way."

"You're not interrupting anything," Clare smiled. "Eli, this is Jake. His dad and my mom are friends from church. He helps out around here sometimes."

"My dad sent me over to fix a leaky sink. He's a contractor. Plus, Clare used to dream about me when we were kids so she has a tendency to call me in times of need."

"I kissed you once and that was four years ago!" Jake playfully shrugged.

Eli relaxed a little. "Uh, cool. Do you go to Degrassi? I haven't seen you around."

"I only just started. We moved back here a couple weeks ago," Jake looked pensive for a moment. "Wait a second, _Eli_? Isn't that the guy who used to pick on you?"

"Um…" he responded.

Clare shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah…"

"That's right. He left paint ball pellets in your backpack and they busted when you dropped it on the floor."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that one!" she exclaimed.

"Also a long time ago," Eli added quickly.

Jake nodded. "Good to see you guys finally grew out of that. How'd that happen?"

"I guess, I kind of helped Clare out of a sticky situation last night," Eli said, clearly seeing the discomfort on her face.

Jake turned to Clare, "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, Eli just pretended to be my boyfriend to keep this creep from hitting on me."

"Cool. Good man." Eli half-smiled. "Well, it's almost 4:20. I've got to get home. I've got a couple of _things_ to do."

"See later, Jake," Clare smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you at school," Eli waved goodbye.

Clare headed towards the living room and sat down on the couch. "Thanks for covering for me. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet, at least not with anyone besides you."

He knew it was only because he was the one there when it happened, but it still made him feel kind of special. Eli reached over and placed his hand on Clare's. Neither spoke, not sure what to say. For a moment, they felt closer to one another than they ever thought possible. Then reality kicked in and they remembered who they were: Clare and Eli, two people who had spent most of their lives hating each other and had now found a peaceful existence, possibly even fondness.

They were rocked back to reality suddenly when Clare leaned too far on the remote and the TV popped on, volume blasting. "Sorry, I had it on music videos earlier."

"That's cool. I love surprises," he said and somehow, Clare found herself slightly blushing. "So a movie, then?"

"Can we watching something happy?"

"Oh no, not some stupid romantic comedy." He sat up and pointed at her. "We are _not_ watching _The Notebook_!"

Clare laughed, "No, no, no. I can't stand Nicholas Sparks books anyways. I was thinking more along the Disney lines. Maybe _Beauty and the Beast_ or _The Little Mermaid_?"

Eli hesitated and then sighed. "If it'll make you feel better, and I guess Belle is kinda hot."

Clare rolled her eyes and got up to get the movie. After a few minutes, Eli even joined her in a few sing-a-longs. They seemed to enjoy each other's company. Half-way through, Eli reached back to stretch and put his arm on the back of the couch, not aware of how close it was to wrapping around Clare's shoulder. He wasn't really touching her, but she still didn't move away.

When the credits began to roll, Eli sat up straight, "You hungry?"

"Probably," she said, as her stomach began to growl, almost on cue.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't remember," she answered honestly.

"Well, what are you hungry for? I'll get you whatever you want," he smiled.

She pondered for a moment before saying, "Breakfast."

He looked at the clock and saw that it was now almost 5 'o clock in the afternoon. "Breakfast sounds awesome."

Moments later they were in the kitchen scattering pots and pans, trying to make eggs, waffles, hash browns, the works. They were covered in flour and oil and still throwing more on each other. The sink was filled with dirty dishes when they finally managed to sit down and eat their burnt toast, mushy scrambled eggs, and crunchy hash browns. All the butter and syrup in the world couldn't salvage the waffles.

"You know, this is probably the best meal I've ever eaten," Eli said, half-way through their five star meals.

"Mine too," Clare agreed. "You know, I don't think I ever got a chance to thank you, for, well for everything."

"Heh, it's the least I could do. I kind of made it my goal to make your life miserable for the past ten years."

"Yeah, but now that all feels like kid's stuff. Plus, I probably deserved some of it. It's kept me grounded."

"Maybe, but not all of it," Eli argued.

"No, not all of it," she smiled and agreed.

"Clare, I really feel like we could be friends," he tripped over some of the words but eventually got them out.

"I think we already are," she agreed. He smiled. "Come on, let's get these dishes done before my mom comes home and freaks out."

They started the sink and were pre-rinsing when Eli grabbed the hose and sprayed it at Clare, soaking her perfect curls.

"Eli!" She grabbed his hand and began to turn it towards his direction, drenching him, as well. They fell to the ground in fits of giggles only to realize that their faces were inches apart. They stared in one other's eyes for a moment before they both pulled away and began to stand. They were almost done loading the dish washer, as Clare turned to grab the last plate and ease the tension.

"So, I'm sure everyone at school-" but she was cut off. Eli was standing behind her while she spoke and when she turned, he grabbed her wrist and his lips pressed against hers. He held her there for just a few short moments before releasing her. His heart pounded as she stood staring at him, wide-eyed and still holding the plate. He didn't know what to do because of her lack of response. So, he did the only thing he could think of and kissed her again, this time with more force and desperation. He backed her up against the kitchen counter and the plate flew back behind her. She responded to him slightly, allowing his tongue to grace hers and holding it even longer. His hands slid around her lower back and that's when they heard the car door slam. They separated immediately.

"Shit! My mom. She'll flip if she finds out I was home alone with a boy that's not Jake. Quick, go to my room." Eli headed straight for the stairs. She heard him reach the top right as her mom unlocked the front door.

"Clarebear! I'm home."

"In here!" she called as her mom wondered in, trailing her luggage behind her. "How was grandma's?"

"Oh, you know, the same as always. We had a good time," once again her mom seemed distracted, like she didn't want to talk and changed the subject. "Did Jake come by to fix the sink?"

"Yeah, he was here earlier today."

"Oh great! Well, I am beat from that drive. I'm going to go upstairs and unpack," she said, heading towards the stairs. For the first time, Clare was actually grateful that her mom wouldn't talk to her.

"Okay, I'm just going to finish my dishes."

After she heard her mom close the bedroom door, Clare tiptoed up the stairs and headed for her room. When she walked in, Eli was nowhere to be found.

"Eli," she whispered, and saw a hand rise from behind the bed. Next his head popped up. She raised her finger to her lips and beckoned for him to come forward. "Come on."

Together, they tiptoed back down the stairs until reaching the front door. She carefully undid the lock. Eli slid through the cracked door and turned to say goodnight, but she was already closing it behind him. He turned towards the hearse and wondered what the rest of the night had to offer him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all! Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. I've been busy with roller derby. Plus, now the season is over and I'm going through Degrassi withdrawals. BTW, anyone else think that Eli and Clare are totally going to get back together during the grad episode? But I was still really proud of her for not taking him back after her was such a dick. I'm almost always team Clare. Anyway, this was one of the hardest chapters to write, but I think it says what I intended it to. As always, thanks for reading!**

Chapter 6

The alarm sounded the next morning and while Clare's eyes weren't completely bloodshot from crying, she still somehow felt weak. Perhaps that feeling never went away when you had an experience like the one she had. Or maybe she was tough enough that it would just take time. Either way, she was just as nervous about seeing Eli today, not to mention having to explain her disappearance to Jenna and Alli. Still, she got up and put on her make-up the same way as every morning before picking out her clothes.

She made it to her locker early that morning, grabbing her books when she suddenly felt a pair of arms around her waist.

"Hey," Eli said, but then stepped back when she very nearly jumped out of her skin. "Whoa."

"Sorry, I think I'm just a little nervous today, about seeing him."

"Oh right," and he mentally cursed himself for being so stupid and not thinking of that. "Well did everything go okay last night with your mom?"

"Yeah, actually. I told her about you." Eli raised his eyebrow. "Well, I told her that we were working on a project together. So she can expect you to be around and stuff."

"Cool. You know, I'm directing the school play this year. You should sign up for something. Then we could hang out after school and have some fun," Eli suggested.

"You're directing the play? I do props remember? I won the award last year."

He smiled. "Oh yeah! Then I guess I'll be seeing you Thursday after all."

"I guess so." Clare could see Jenna and Alli vibrantly whispering to each other while they stared intently at her. She and Eli continued to converse.

"So did you want to eat lunch with me and some of the guys today?" he asked.

"I guess so. We'll probably have a lot of explaining to do though."

Eli shrugged. "I don't care if you don't." She smiled until suddenly her face completely dropped. Mike Dallas was headed straight for her.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"That's never gonna happen," Eli stepped up, his chest out in an attempt to intimidate.

"Why don't you back off Emoboy. I'm not talking to you."

"I wasn't planning on saying much," Eli responded as he began to ball his fist.

Dallas looked at Clare, "What, so are you telling me that you're with this guy now?"

"Maybe she is," Eli said, still not backing down.

Clare stepped between the two raising her arms. "Alright, stop it, both of you! I belong to no one but myself." She turned on Dallas. "You are a creep and what you did was wrong and unforgivable." The power somehow erupted through her out of nowhere, while she continued to face her antagonist.

"I know. I just need to talk to you about it for a minute."

Eli took another step. "It's okay, Eli. I can talk to him." He glared for a moment, then raised his hands in surrender and began to pace backwards around the corner.

She turned back to Dallas, fiercer than she expected herself to be, "You better talk fast."

"Look, Clare, I'm sorry."

She dug deep and found the strength she had been grasping for since that night, "You're sorry? For what? Attacking me? Making me feel weak and useless? For being a complete misogynistic asshole?" she shouted.

"Yes! Okay?" he yelled back. "Look, I was drunk and stupid and didn't know what I was doing."

"Oh, well that's a good excuse. All is forgiven," she responded sarcastically.

"Baby, you know I would never do anything like that if I were sober. And I promise I'm never going to get that drunk again. I just got messed up because… because I've missed you," he said and slowly started rubbing his finger on the side of her hand.

She pulled her arm away. "Dallas, we barely even dated before you stopped calling me. But that was long enough because now I never want to see you again. You see me in the hallway, you turn the other way. You see me talking to someone you know, you ignore us and wait your turn. Got it?"

"Clare, you're being ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous?"

"Look, the reason I stopped calling is because, you're not like the girls I used to date. You're so serious and I'm used to puck bunnies who just want to get with a hockey player."

"Gee, I'm becoming more impressed by the second," sarcasm had always been Clare's best friend.

"I'm trying to tell you that you're not like other girls. I freaked. But I really liked you. When I saw you sitting all alone, I thought maybe you felt the same way."

"You thought wrong."

"I know that now, but I really thought we were good together. And I hope you can forgive me."

She stared at him for a long time and then turned her face, not wanting to meet his eyes. The tears were puddling in her bottom eyelids, but she refused to surrender.

"Come on, you're going to have to see me here. We at least need to be able to work together during classes." She let out a long, slow sigh and still refused to look at him. Then she closed her eyes tight and shook her head.

"You really with Eli now?" he asked.

"That's none of your business," she said in a low tone. "I'll see you around, Mike," and without another word or waiting for his response, she turned and walked away. Trying desperately to get away, and not entirely sure where she was heading, she marched down the halls of Degrassi in an attempt to regain her composure. Faster and faster she rounded the corner and walked right into a brick wall. No, it was Eli. She walked right into his arms without even realizing it. As he held her tight, she attempted to keep the waterworks in but it was inevitable. They started with a slow roll down her cheeks while he held her and began to flow like a waterfall as he pulled her into the janitor's closet nearby.

"What did he do?"

"Made me feel stupid like I was silly for even blaming him for everything. And then I felt even worse because I started to forgive him like Rihanna did and now everyone thinks she's lame for taking back Chris Brown. And I started contemplating forgiving him because I felt sorry for him and I don't know whether or not he deserves it!" At least that's what she tried to say, but what really came out was a high pitched squeal through her wet tears while she continued to babble nonsense.

Eli tried his hardest, but he couldn't keep himself from laughing. "I'm so sorry, Clare, but I really have no clue what you said just now. Something about Chris Brown and you don't want to be like Rihanna. But you could have just said that you liked one of their songs."

To Clare's surprise, she found herself chuckling while she tried to dry her tears. "Why do boys have to be so stupid?"

"Because girls have to drive us crazy," he smiled.

"Oh great! So everything is back to being my fault."

He put his hands on either side of her face. "Clare, listen to me. None of this is your fault." She nodded but closed her eyes in disbelief. He continued to calm her down until she stopped crying. "Now I'm walking you to class." She wiped her face and followed him out the door. When they reached her classroom he said 'goodbye' and told her he'd meet her for lunch.

Clare sat down ready for her history class while Jenna and Alli attempted to get her attention. "Okay, Edwards. Start talking," Alli demanded.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice still a little squeaky.

"Are you kidding me?" Jenna piped in. "First, you disappear at Drew's party Saturday night. Then we don't hear from you for two days and now you're hanging out with your arch nemesis. What is going on?"

"Nothing."

The girls stared at her in shock.

"Spit it out," Alli said, with a stern look on her face that meant she wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Look, I ended up hanging out with Eli on Saturday. He gave me a ride home and we're kind of friends now," Clare carefully explained.

They both had furrowed brows. "Then why do you look like you've been crying your eyes out for days?" Alli rationalized.

She sighed deeply. There was no getting around it, but she didn't have to tell them everything. "I got into a fight with Dallas."

"OMG! What happened? Tell me everything!" Alli encouraged.

"Nothing really," she lied. "He just said he missed me and that was it. And I guess he got a little jealous that Eli and I were hanging out, but it was mostly because of this stupid English project."

"You poor thing," Jenna put a hand on her arm.

"It's no big. But there is one more thing." Deep breath. "I'm having lunch with Eli today."

Jenna and Alli shared a glance. "He has hot friends, right?"

* * *

**A/N: I don't think Dallas is a bad person in this story, I just think he did a bad thing. Well, I made him do a bad thing. Mostly I wanted to introduce something to really challenge Clare and to help bring her and Eli together. Which I think this chapter succeeds at doing. Although, I don't know if Clare is capable of forgiving Dallas. We'll see!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updating for a while. I just haven't been that into it, although I am starting to think of some stuff for the later chapters that I haven't written yet. Anyways, I'm getting ready to go out of town. I'm going to Paris for a week! I've been saving for it pretty much my whole life. So I won't be able to update again for at least a week. So I hope you guys like it. It's mostly filler and just about dealing and stuff. But I think it captures Clare's personality/beliefs pretty well. Enjoy and au revoir!**

Chapter 7

"Okay Eli. You've got some serious explaining to do," Adam said.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Clare," Dave chimed in.

"What about me and Clare?"

"Come on, man. Don't play dumb," KC added.

"Look, we've been working in English together and we came to, I don't know, an understanding," Eli argued.

"An understanding?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, like a truce."

"Yeah, right. A truce," KC said. "She must be putting out."

"Whoa," even Dave was shocked by KC's remark.

"Dude, not cool," Eli clearly wasn't impressed.

"Seriously, you've spent the last who knows how many years hating each other and suddenly you're hanging out in the hallway practically holding hands," Adam added.

"Well, get used to it, because I'm eating lunch with her today, too."

"You're eating lunch with Clare?" Adam asked.

"You gonna have a problem with that?" Eli challenged.

Adam just laughed. "No, I've never had a problem with her, but are you sure _you_ don't?"

Eli understood where he was coming from. "Yeah, we're good."

"Okay, cuz if this is part of some overly orchestrated prank, then that's pretty messed up. Even for you, man," Adam declared.

"No hijinks," Eli stated. "I promise."

"Well then," Dave said, "she hangs around with some pretty cute hunnies, doesn't she?" and he and KC began to smile.

A few hours later, Eli was waiting in the doorway outside Clare's classroom, watching her stare into space from the window. He wondered if she was thinking about him or the kiss and immediately tried to shake the thought from his head. While he had no clue what had come over him Sunday night, he had admit he liked it and wanted to do it more. At the same time he felt like an idiot. Clare didn't push him away but she barely responded to him. And he felt even worse now that he had done the very same thing Mike Dallas had tried to do to her the previous weekend.

Here she was trying to get over being attacked by some jerk, and then the only other person to know about it, the one person who was supposed to be helping her with it, does it himself. He was partially hoping she just needed some time to get over what happened. But even if he couldn't have her romantically, he would do whatever he could to make her happy and be her friend. This seemed even more ridiculous due to the fact that up until now, she had been the most annoying person in his existence. He must be crazy about her.

"Hey," he said after the bell rang.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't quite look upset to see him there, but a little bewildered.

"I came to pick you up for lunch."

"Thanks, but I don't need a bodyguard, Eli." As far as he was concerned, his suspicions were confirmed. She wasn't in to him.

"I know, I just, happened to be in the neighborhood?"

"Right," Clare said skeptically.

"Come on, I'm hungry," he said, taking her books.

'You're always hungry," she mused. Eli relaxed a little at her joke, easing the tension. Plus, she didn't object to him taking her books, either.

"So, you know how my dad works at the radio station?" Eli asked.

"How could I forget? He's almost as annoying as you."

"Ouch! Someone is on fire today."

"I like to think so," she smiled.

"Anyways, I got free tickets for The Bodies exhibit this weekend at the museum," he said, clearly excited about it.

"That's the one with the preserved dead people who donated their bodies to science, right?' she asked.

"Too creepy?"

"No, I can handle it," she decided.

"Cool," he tried to sound nonchalant, but he was pretty sure she could sense his excitement.

"And I can tell my mom its extra credit or something so she'll let me go."

Eli turned to look at her. "You don't want her to know you're hanging out with me?"

She hesitated. "Well, it's not exactly like that. I mean, you know that I told her we were working together. It's just, I've been complaining about you for years. She doesn't exactly have the best opinion of you, even if we are friends now."

He nodded. "Right, of course. It's my own fault."

She turned and took his hand, surprising him. "Eli, we're friends now. That's all that matters."

He really wanted to kiss her. She was so perfect with her happy curls and intense attitude. It was his job to be comforting her right now, but here she was making him feel like a man again. It was time to change the subject and get back to reality. "If we don't get to lunch soon, Drew is probably going to eat everything. That guy is a machine."

When they arrived at their table, Adam was already sitting down. Jenna and Alli quickly joined and the rest of the boys followed suit.

"Hey KC, what'd you get for number four on that history pop-quiz?" Dave asked.

"It was the French and Indian War, dude. Easy."

"Damn, I guess I can kiss university goodbye," he laughed.

"Please, you can survive one silly little quiz," Alli said.

"Or maybe I can get your _fine_ self to tutor me."

Alli rolled her eyes and tried to hide a smile until Drew walked up, wiping it off her face.

"Hey guys. What's up?" he said, sitting down.

"Um, I believe skanky Bianca is sitting over there," Alli answered, rolling her eyes.

Drew looked over to see Bianca eye-fucking him from across the room. He looked back at Alli ashamed and then said, "Right. See you guys later." Then he began to head her way.

"Way to play it cool, Bhandari," Jenna said.

"If Drew wants to ignore me all night for some slut like her, then he better be able to deal with the consequences."

"Yeah, I'm not about to defend my horny brother," Adam declared.

"Ok, enough boy drama. I'm shooting my new music video today after school. Anyone want to be my official cameraman?" Jenna asked.

"Cameraman?" KC asked, slightly skeptical yet somewhat interested.

"Yeah, I need someone to hold my phone straight so it won't be all shaky when I put it on youtube."

They all continued to banter back and forth, clearly enjoying the company of the rest of the group. Eli had to admit, they all blended well as a friendship. Then he turned a glance at Clare who was once again lost in space. She stared at her plate as though it was another dimension, obviously lost in thought.

"Hey, you okay?" he subtly asked so the others wouldn't notice.

Her eyes dilated as they began to resurface and focus on him. "I'm fine," she said shortly, though he could tell she clearly wasn't.

She spent the rest of the day in the same state, ignoring Ms. Oh in media emersion and practically sitting on the sidelines during gym class. When the day finally ended, she couldn't be more relieved. Alli and Jenna seemed to notice a little bit, but they were too caught up talking about sitting with KC and Dave during lunch.

"Clare," Eli had just pulled up next to her in the hearse after exiting the school.

"What's up?" she said trying to put on her happy face again.

"Do you need a ride?' he asked.

"That's okay. I've got my bike."

"Really? You're really going by yourself when I'm right here offering you a perfectly good ride?" Eli challenged.

"I don't need a bodyguard, Eli. I can handle this myself," she continued to argue while sounding slightly annoyed.

It again confirmed Eli's suspicions that she clearly didn't like his kiss, but he was going to prove to her that they could be around each other without him making a move. "Believe me, after everything, I know you're tough. I'm just trying to be helpful."

She stared at his empty passenger seat when he spoke again. "Come one. You never know. You could have a horrible accident and develop some freakish fear of bicycles to the point that you never want to ride one again."

"Well that would be silly."

"Stranger things have happened."

"Like me becoming friends with you?" she asked with a sly smile. He popped open the passenger door for her and she climbed in.

They sat in silence for a few minutes while she stared out the window. "You don't always have to be so tough around me, you know."

"Did you know that my sister was raped?" she commented. He turned to look at her while pausing at a stop light. "I just keep thinking about her and how violating it must have been. Sure she was unconscious but she didn't even know who did it. She never found out. Now she's in Africa and I can't even talk to her about it. We haven't been able to talk in weeks."

"Dallas wasn't going to rape you, Clare."

"I know! What he did wasn't even that bad… but it was," her voice cracked. "Great, now I'm crying again."

"Clare, I want you to be able to talk to me, but I don't want you to cry," Eli said as genuinely as possible.

She took a deep breath. "I'm trying to be strong, but hiding everything makes it so hard."

"I told you, Clare, I'm not going anywhere. You can talk to me." They reached her house. "Do you want me to pick you up for school tomorrow?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"No, I'll be alright. I can do this," she said defiantly.

"Just remember, you don't have to do it alone," he told her.

"I know, Eli. I trust you."

Eli was worried for her, but at the same time, he had to smile as he watched her walk to her front door.


End file.
